


The Tree of Discord

by jadestrick



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Drama, Gen, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-28
Updated: 2011-10-28
Packaged: 2017-10-25 01:13:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/270055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadestrick/pseuds/jadestrick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team stumbles upon a true <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperides#The_Garden_of_the_Hesperides">Greek myth</a>. This was written for the LJ comm last_author (now lastauthstands) Round 1 (the first round 1, that is :P). Prompt was the word "apple."  Written November 24, 2008.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Tree of Discord

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Discord  
> Author: jadestrick aka Meg  
> Character/Pairing: Team  
> Rating: Good heavens. I don't think I wrote even one curse word. O_O But we'll say PGish.  
> Genre: Drama  
> Spoilers: Set during season 5  
> Summary: The team stumbles upon a true Greek myth. This was written for [info]last_author (now [info]lastauthstands) Round 1 (the first round 1, that is :P). Prompt was the word "apple."  
> Disclaimer: I own a few hundred books and movies, a vanilla latte and I borrowed this laptop. You do the math.  
> A/N: Betaed by triciabyrne1978. (Yes, dear, a semicolon counts. :P)

  
_"I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless."_   
**~ Bette Davis ~**

*****

Without thinking about it, Richard Woolsey had a change of heart, or rather; a change of mind. Or even better, a change of perspective.

Sometimes the rules had to be broken. He tried to understand, but rules were what he breathed. The IOA this, the IOA that. In Atlantis, he learned morals, not ethics. He learned courage, not valor. He learned knowledge rather than greed.

He never applied it though. He merely stored it away in the research section of his mind.

But when Colonel Sheppard told him about the Tree, his perspective changed.

*****

It was a small thing. The bark was flaking and the leaves were starting to wilt. Even the golden skins seemed to lose their brilliance. It had been over 10,000 years since someone had eaten one of the apples and ironically, the Tree was the one starting to feel old rather than the mortals.

But there they were. Full of energy and life. Full of experience and sarcasm. Full of the mindless weapons and anger that led the tree to its current home. Her Lantean Master had not meant to leave her there for the rest of eternity. He must have forgotten that in giving this immortal gift to those limited by mortality, she also required _giving_ the gift. Were her branches not plucked, her own immortality would wane. Her apples hung around her, out of her reach, taunting her own endurance.

But there they were. After so long, they were standing before her. And they were all so different. She only needed to tempt one mortal enough to take one bite. Only one and she could return to the beautiful and immortal tree she once was.

So she listened to their weaknesses.

*****

"So, there’s energy?" John asked with an incredulous look on his face.

"That _is_ what I just said." Rodney retorted.

John looked at Teyla and Ronon with the same incredulous look. Teyla smiled and Ronon snorted. Clearing his throat and restructuring his face, John stated, "Rodney, there's _always_ energy. How else are we supposed to find your next hobby?"

Rodney rolled his eyes and gestured. "It's a _Tree_ , Sheppard!"

"Yeah, thanks, Rodney, I’m not blind."

"Just think of what we could do if we duplicated this energy! All the things we could grow! Earth would never have hunger!"

Teyla interrupted. "Should we not merely take readings and leave this Tree where it stands?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you. Just like we’ve always done."

John smacked Rodney on the back of the head as Ronon finally spoke up. "I vote we just leave it. Remember the last tree we encountered."

*****

Eight eyes were now staring at her. An assembly of different facial expressions made her choose where to start.

She looked into the mind of the tall hunter.

Chaos. Bitterness. But trust above all.

A woman. And a child. And no one else.

He was alone. And he buried his pain.

And he would die like Achilles in battle, destroying his opponents till they were no more than the dust on the ground.

No. Death was welcoming to him.

But defeating his enemies was stronger.

*****

Rodney sputtered and brought the others’ attention back to him. "Do you see any blue, glowy plants? The chances of that happening again are less than minimal."

"Just because the trees were on one planet does not mean that they do not exist in another form elsewhere, Rodney," Teyla countered.

Rodney snorted and gestured wildly at the Tree. "Blue! Glowy! I don't see any of it!"

Ronon stared in disgust as Teyla and Rodney continued to argue.

Rodney turned his back to the Tree and faced the others head on. "Look, even if I take the smallest amount of energy back, we can duplicate it. We don't have to take the whole Tree! Just one little bit of bark! And then the botanists can study all they want and I can get my Nobel Prize!"

*****

She smiled slightly, seeming to cock her head had she one. And she delved into the genius's thoughts.

Egotism. The need for attention.

Only one loved him purely. But he never saw her.

He was like Daedalus: a brilliant mind, full of ideas and schemes that could last till space was nothing more than a vacuum of blackness.

But she frowned.

Regrets. He was full of regrets.

Deep in his mind, his grief and anguish and fear of failure overwrought his perfection. The things he said to the other mortals were lies.

No. He was afraid. Terrified.

But his image meant more to him.

*****

Ronon finally butted in. "Hey! Don't you think we've had enough trouble with stuff like this? Take the reading with your thing and let's get out of here!"

Teyla nodded in agreement. "Yes. I think it is best we go back to Atlantis and show Mr. Woolsey and he can send a team of scientists."

Rodney snorted at Teyla. "According to my readings, this Tree has been here for thousands of years! Look, I'm sorry that our little escapade here has made you late for a meeting with Halling, but this is serious stuff! We _have_ to study this!"

Teyla blocked Ronon from pummeling Rodney in the head. With a quick glance at him, she replied, "Rodney, you know that the best thing for the city is to study it on somewhere other than Atlantis. There are people there who could get hurt just like others have in the past."

*****

 _There_ it was.

The woman had been difficult to decipher.

But there it was.

Her son.

The Tree knew well enough that any mother would live forever if only for a child.

Amidst the hurt and desire for peace and violent images from times past, the woman’s sense of peace lay in protecting her child.

But from what?

She probed further. It was like entering the Labyrinth. Like the hunter, the woman buried her pain. But rather than keeping it in the dark recesses of her mind, she embraced it and let it come to pass.

But one being kept appearing like a wraith in the night.

The Tree chuckled. A mother’s love never changes.

*****

John had blocked out Teyla and Rodney. He was transfixed on the Tree. Yes, it was going gray. Yes, its leaves were dying. But the apples were still as ripe as ever. They'd lost their shine, but they suddenly looked sinfully delicious.

The Tree swayed in the wind. And shook.

Shook as though with laughter.

Or cunning greed. Or desire.

John narrowed his eyes and thought.

*****

The dark one was not to be trifled with. His lust for good and women and amusement ran equally with his desire to protect. He was the absolute Hero. He was everything all of them had ever been. Aphrodite would have created legends out of him. And destroyed him in the process.

But he would have endeavored. He did not give up. He gave his life and his emotions over to the others around him.

And yet, he longed for a quiet moment. For peace. A time she could not remember because it had never existed and a time she was not created to allow.

He longed for justice and happiness.

He longed for love and courage.

He was perfect.

*****

The voices of his team were starting to reintegrate in his mind. He tore his eyes from the Tree and faced the others.

"Hey!" He snapped.

They all stopped immediately and turned to look at him. "Rodney, you got enough readings, right?"

Rodney nodded but looked desperate. John sighed and looked back at the Tree. When he said nothing more, Teyla furrowed her brow and exchanged a look with Ronon. She took a step toward him. "John? What is it?"

John's eyes were glassy. With one hand on his gun, he reached out with the other and walked forward.

*****

She shivered in delight. Once more, she would feel the touch of a mortal man. Once more, she would give of herself. Once more, she could be beautiful again.

She called to him in his mind, urging him forward.

One apple suddenly seemed to glow.

*****

He knew who the Tree was.

He thought of everything he desired.

He thought of spending forever finding those he had lost and bringing them home.

He thought of how he felt as though he could live forever.

He felt her move beneath his fingers as he traced the bark with his fingertips.

He saw a shimmer of gold begin to glow out of the corner of his eye.

*****

He blinked.

"John?" Teyla asked again.

He took a step back and dropped his hand to his side. He seemed to breathe again. His mind fought for a clearer picture. And when it appeared, he turned his back on the Tree.

"Rodney, make do with what you got. Let's go. Now."

"But--" Rodney interrupted.

"Now!"

He did not leave the presence of the Tree until he could see the three bodies of his team walking in front of him. He heard her rustle.

*****

She trembled in anger and pressed harder into his mind. She filled his head full of everything he desired. She painted the pictures so vividly that he seemingly faltered for a moment.

But she was wrong.

He did not falter.

He merely played her.

*****

John curled his lip in disgust and sneered at her.

"Nice try," he said and turned to walk away.

As he took his first step, the glowing apple of gold once again lost its brilliance.

One of her leaves fell.

*****

For some reason, Woolsey seemed to listen to John. Even if he never ended up truly agreeing with John, he always made a show of really listening. Or rather, _actually_ listening.

But John could see Woolsey wasn't listening today.

They stared at each other as John finished his verbal report. Teyla and Ronon were standing near the door, shushing Rodney whenever he tried to interject. But when John told them his theory, the whole city seemed to turn silent.

They thought. Long and hard.

All that time.

Teyla thought of always protecting her son.

Ronon thought of destroying every Wraith left in existence.

Rodney thought of every glory he could--and should--receive.

Woolsey thought of fixing all of his past mistakes.

John thought of nothing.

Woolsey cleared his throat and folded his hands. He turned to John. "And you’re convinced it was _the_ Tree?"

John nodded.

"Why?"

John turned slightly pink and averted his eyes. "She spoke to me."

Everyone's eyebrows rose. "The _Tree_ spoke to you?" Rodney sneered.

Woolsey shot a glance at Rodney. "Dr. McKay," he said warningly. Rodney slumped his shoulders. Woolsey turned back to John. "She? The Tree was a she?"

John nodded again.

Woolsey continued. "What did she say?"

John turned to look back at Woolsey. He sighed and finally said, "She told me I could finish it."

"Finish what?" Teyla asked.

John lowered his head and made like a piece of lint on his BDUs was the most fascinating thing this side of the Pegasus Galaxy. They all stared at him to continue. Only Woolsey got the point.

"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "Dr. McKay, I'm afraid you're going to have to make do with the readings you have for the moment. Considering this team's experience with trees, I'm starting to think we should only visit desert planets. Until that research is complete, it's my opinion we should avoid this planet for the time being."

He nodded curtly in finalization and even though Rodney opened and closed his mouth in preparation for an argument, he finally stood and followed Teyla and Ronon out of Woolsey's office.

But John didn't move.

Woolsey looked back at him and waited.

John took a deep breath. "I could've found them all. I could've brought Elizabeth back. I could've brought Ford back. I could've fought the Wraith till there was only one left. And then I could've lived forever with one woman and watched my grandchildren and my great grandchildren grow."

After a moment of silence, Woolsey asked quietly, "But what did you really want?"

John repeated himself. "She told me I could finish it," he said quietly.

Woolsey said nothing.

John continued. "And that's when I knew she was wrong."

Woolsey stayed silent.

"Because I don't want to finish it."

"Finish what, Colonel?"

John looked up at Woolsey with fear in his eyes. Woolsey looked back at a man torn in two. Torn for the desire of two great worlds. He seemed like a little boy, suddenly realizing that he’d been wrong all along and ashamed to be asking forgiveness for his mistakes.

"She told me I could finish War and Peace."

Woolsey cocked his head in confusion.

John sighed and stood up. Shaking himself a little, he regained some clarity. He looked Woolsey dead in the eye and said, "But she was wrong. She didn't know what I wanted."

He turned and started out the office door.

"I don't want to go home."


End file.
